Q. What does mean?

A. "At The Eastern Door" is a metaphor for the Mohawk homeland in what was, and is now Eastern New York State. This is also a period in time at which a great deal of mainstream trade and politics occurred with Native Peoples and their European counterparts which shaped the course of the frontier and later the United States itself. The Mohawk people are also known as "Keepers of the Eastern Door". When looking at the geographic location of the Iroquois Confederacy, imagine the Nations as an extended longhouse spread across the entire State of New York with a door placed at either end and a smoke hole in the center. Historically from West to East there are the Seneca (Western Door), Cayuga, Tuscarora (added to confederacy in 1712), Onondaga (Council Fire), Oneida, and Mohawk (Eastern Door).

Q. What is your average time for delivery of finished goods?

A. Generally speaking, orders for in-stock items take 1-2 weeks for delivery. Individual, single piece custom orders are on the average taking 4-6 weeks for delivery. Larger custom orders require more time.

Q. Do you sell wholesale?

A. We do sell wholesale to Historic sites and related gift shops with orders made via mail on site letterhead. However there is an initial minimum order of $500. Details on wholesale orders and pricing can be requested by email.

Q. Will you do custom orders?

A. Absolutely, however there are strict standards to which we adhere to. Mainly pertaining to whether this item documentable? (i.e. Archeological or Ethnographic provenance.) We will use artistic license in some cases of design elements, but we will not fabricate an item simply based on ones word or opinion. Documentation must be provided by the customer or in conjunction with established research of At The Eastern Door.

Q. Do you use "German Silver"?

A. No, we do not. We only use Sterling Silver. "German Silver" was not readily available until about 1830. Therefore, this material is inappropriate for our reproduction work.

Q. What gauge or how thick is the metal used in your trade silver?

A. We use a light gauge sterling silver (28ga.) in most of our trade silver pieces, in an effort to closely copy many of the early examples. Many of the earliest examples of pierced brooches are so thin that it would be impractical to use such a small gauge today.

Q. Are your medals and rings available in sterling silver?

A. Although not appropriate to accurate historical interpretation. Medals and rings can be ordered for contemporary usage in silver at an additional cost.

Q. What does "IHS" mean?

A. IHS: A monogram of, The name of Jesus Christ.

From the 3rd century the names of Jesus Christ are sometimes shortened, particularly in Christian inscriptions (IH and XP, for Jesus and Christus). From the beginning, however, in Christian inscriptions the "nomina sacra", or names of Jesus Christ, were shortened by contraction, thus IC and XC or IHS and XPS for Iesous Christos. These Greek monograms continue to be used in the Latin religious context from the Middle Ages to the present day. Throughout this period, the correct meaning was lost, and an erroneous interpretation of IHS led to the faulty orthography "Jhesus". The monogram became more popular after the 12th century when St. Bernard (d.1153), insisted much on devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and the 14th, when the founder of the Jesuati, Blessed John Colombini (d. 1367), usually wore it on his breast. Towards the end of the Middle Ages IHS became a symbol, sometimes above the H appears a cross and underneath three nails, while the whole figure is surrounded by rays. IHS became the accepted iconographical characteristic of St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) and of St. Bernardine of Siena (d. 1444). Martin V. St. Ignatius of Loyola (d.1556) adopted the monogram IHS in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (April 22nd 1541), or Jesuits as we commonly know them today, and thus it became the emblem of this institute. IHS is sometimes wrongly understood as "Jesus Hominum Salvator" or "Jesus Hierosolymae Salvator", i.e. Jesus, the Saviour of men or erroneously interpreted as "In His Service".

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